First Nations
Mental Wellness
In many First Nations communities, good health was, and often still is, a result of a balance of ones entire being, ‘mind, body and spirit.’
Mental health is but one component of an intricate web of First Nations peoples’ genealogical make up. For First Nations, history, culture, traditions, spirituality and identity are all critical to well being and positive mental health. Without these essential foundations, well-being and good health cannot be attained. (Source: NAHO)
Through extensive dialogue and consultation, the Mental Wellness Advisory Committee helped develop a definition of mental wellness that is accepted by First Nations people. Mental wellness is described as:
“a lifelong journey to achieve wellness and balance of body, mind and spirit. Mental wellness includes self-esteem, personal dignity, cultural identity and connectedness in the presence of a harmonious physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness. Mental wellness must be defined in terms of the values and beliefs of Inuit and First Nations people.”
(Source: Mental Wellness Framework, Mental Wellness Advisory Committee, 2002).
The Mental Health Advisory Committee helped develop a broad vision of mental wellness for First Nations and Inuit). The vision is that:
“First Nations and Inuit embrace the achievement of whole health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and economic well-being) through a comprehensive and coordinated approach that respects, values and utilizes traditional and cultural knowledge, methodologies, languages and ways of knowing.”
Medicine Wheel
The number four is very sacred to the First Nations. The Medicine Wheel is an ancient Aboriginal abstract symbol that stands for "the sacredness of four." It is used by many First Nations and Métis as a symbol of the life, health and values of an individual, community or Nation. It is generally thought to have come from the Indigenous cultures of the Great Plains, but it's used by many different cultures throughout North America. However, it's not used in all the traditions of all First Nations and Métis. It isn't an Inuit concept and isn't used in Inuit cultural practices in any way.
Each Nation has its own concepts, relationships and teachings about the Medicine Wheel, but as an example, here is some information about the Medicine Wheel from the Ojibway (or Anishinaabe) perspective.
How does the number four work in the Medicine Wheel?
Usually, four spokes create four quadrants on the Wheel. The four quadrants can represent many different ideas or concepts and their relationship to each other, the universe and the individual, such as:
- The four directions;
- The four seasons;
- The four parts of a person: mental (mind), physical (body), spiritual and emotional;
- The four stages of life: childhood, youth, adulthood and Elderhood;
- The four distinct colours which also have symbolic meanings.
There are also four sacred medicines that represent each colour and wind direction:
- Wiingashk (sweetgrass) represents the hair of mother earth, so it is often braided. Wiingashk is known for its beautiful aroma when it's used for cleansing. The end of the sweetgrass braid is lit, which produces a cleansing and purifying smoke.
- Semma (tobacco) is used to offer prayers at the Sacred Fire where people burn semma and tobacco ties. Semma is also smoked in sacred pipes.
- Keezhik (cedar) is cleaned from the branches and used to make a smoke smudge. Keezhik is also very useful for cleansing and helping to get rid of negative or "bad" energy.
- Shkodawabuk (sage) is also used for smudging. Sage and cedar are women's medicines. They are the only medicines that women on their moon can use to smudge with.
Resources
An Annotated Bibliography: Cultural Intervention Models in Mental Health (May 2006)
Pprovides an inventory of scholarly literature on cultural considerations and interventions in the field of mental health and wellness, primarily focused on Aboriginal and Indigenous Peoples (National Aboriginal Health Organization – First Nations Centre).
Traditional and contemporary approaches to youth suicide prevention
Produced by the Association of First Nations (March 2007).
What is the Medicine Wheel
A description of the medicine wheel, produced by the Canadian Health Network with the help of the National Aboriginal Health Organization.
Speaking Notes For Dr. Valerie Gideon
To the Kirby Committee on Mental Health, Mental Illness and AddictionsDirector, AFN Health and Social Secretariat.
Reinventing a partnership: more than a necessity for First Nations' mental health
Presents a memoir that examines the mental health conditions of First Nations and their links to past oppressions and to the current impasse of the existing organizational cultures.
